Police identify 4 University of Idaho students found dead outside campus

By Chris Boyette and Hannah Sarisohn, CNN

Four University of Idaho students who were found dead Sunday night in a house near campus have been identified, the city of Moscow’s police department said Monday.

The slain students were 20-year-old Ethan Chapin of Conway, Washington; 21-year-old Madison Mogen of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; 20-year-old Xana Kernodle of Avondale, Arizona; and 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves of Rathdrum, Idaho.

Moscow police said they are investigating the deaths as homicides, but did not provide any other information about what happened. As of midday Monday, no suspect was in custody. Anyone with information about the case has been asked to contact police.

“The Moscow Police Department and the City of Moscow is deeply saddened for the families of these individuals, fellow students and friends, and our community during this time,” the police department said. “Our heartfelt sympathies go out to each and every person affected by this incident.”

Moscow Mayor Art Bettge called the students’ deaths “senseless acts of violence.”

“This tragedy serves as a sobering reminder that senseless acts of violence can occur anywhere, at any time, and we are not immune from such events here in our community,” the mayor said. “Today, we grieve for those were lost and those they leave behind. Let us come together in support of each other, and be there for each other, as we mourn as a community.”

Police have indicated “there is no ongoing threat,” the university tweeted Sunday without elaborating.

Officers responded to a call about an unconscious person shortly before noon Sunday and discovered the four bodies, the Moscow Police Department said in a news release.

“It is with deep sadness that I share with you that the university was notified today of the death of four University of Idaho students living off-campus believed to be victims of homicide,” university president Scott Green said in a statement to the campus community.

The slain students were also involved on campus, according to the university. Chapin was a freshman majoring in recreation, sport, and tourism management who was also a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. CNN has reached out to Sigma Chi.

Kernodle was a junior majoring in marketing and was also a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, the university said. CNN has reached out to Phi Beta Phi.

Mogen was a senior majoring in marketing and Goncalves was a senior majoring in general studies, according to the university.

Counseling will be provided on campus for students and employees through Tuesday, the school said.

The tragic discovery came as another US college campus — the University of Virginia in Charlottesville — is reeling as three students were fatally shot Sunday. The alleged gunman, identified as a UVA student, was been taken into custody Monday morning after an hourslong manhunt.

At the University of Idaho, in-person and online classes Monday are canceled and set to resume Tuesday.

“We are grateful for the support of the community and the ongoing efforts of the Police Department. The university is committed to supporting students and families during this difficult time,” Green said.

CNN has reached out to the university and to the police department for more details.

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CNN’s Hannah Sarisohn, Holly Yan and Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report.